It’s getting hot and you hear everyone else is going to the Fort Hamilton Army Base Pool so naturally you want to go to, right? The FHCC (Fort Hamilton Community Club) has two types of memberships which you can purchase to the pool.

2015 Update: It has become a lot harder to be a member of this club since a new base commander and club manager were appointed to the Army base. Many people who were members in the past can not get membership because they are reverting back to the old way that membership was done at the pool (see two types of memberships below). If you can’t get membership at the Fort Hamilton Army Base, check out the Seagate Pool Club (in the gated community of Sea Gate Brooklyn – exit 6 on the Belt Parkway).

Ft. Hamilton Army Base

207 Sterling Drive – Fort Hamilton

Brooklyn, NY 11252

One type of membership is the pool guest membership. You will need to be sponsored by a current authorized member of the club. Members can only sponsor a maximum of 4 guests for the pool season. Sponsored guests may bring in two additional guests per day. Sponsored guests may only sponsor a family of four for the pool season.

The current member needs to send a letter (address below) requesting for you to be a pool a guest. In the letter, the current member will put your name, address, phone number and SS#. They will contact you and you will need to pay $450 for the an individual membership seasonal pass or $700 for a family seasonal pool pass. Sponsored members are limited to the Community Club ONLY.

Mr. Grant, MWR Director
137 C Poly Place Suite 3A
Brooklyn, NY 11252

The other way is Authorized membership which is open to all active duty, retired military, reservists, National guard, DOD employees, federal employees, VA, NYPD, FDNY and foreign military personnel.can get access to the Fort Hamilton Army Base pool is if you have a family member who is a federal/state employee (like a postal worker). The fed./state employee would send a letter (address above) and ask for membership for you. In the letter, they would put your name, relation to them, address, phone number and SS#.

If you receive this membership, you will need to pay $27.00 a month to be part of the Fort Hamilton Community Club plus $250 for an individual seasonal pool pass or $395 for a seasonal family of four pool pass.

You can call 718 765-7338 to talk with them about membership. Also the operator number there is 718-765-7368 718-630-4903 718-630-4361 (old numbers: 718-630-4101 718-630-4848). Other phone numbers for the army base are here.

You will need to go to the military base to take your membership photo. When you go on the base they will ask for your driver’s license. It must be current. Also the registration for your car must be current too. They officers at the gate may walk around your car to inspect it.

Once you pay your membership fee and for the seasonal pass, they will take your photo for a picture ID card. The pool opens kind of late and they close early, except for Friday night when they stay open for a barbecue. Every hour on the hour there is an adult swim for 15 minutes.

Locker fee for the season is $15.00

You need to pay for chair usage as well.

The only other way for you to use the pool is to be a guest of a current member. You and the current member to to the pool together. Your friend has to pay $20 for each adult guest and $15 for each child over 4 years old.

Outside food and drinks are not allowed, so some people leave their food and drinks in the car and go outside to eat. There is a website for the MWR Pool at Ft Hamilton Army Base (MWR stands for Morale, Welfare and Recreation), but there isn’t anything on it because the MWR pool closed up. Yes, there were two swimming pools on the base.

Did you know that there are stores and places to eat on the Fort Hamilton Army Base? See here for a list there is a Burger King and Subway Sandwich place open to the public on the Fort Hamilton Army Base? There’s also the Harbor Defense Museum. There are a few other things on the base including a bowling alley (see this page for more about bowling on base.) – most are for the military only, but not everything – here. You can even have a ft. hamilton bowling party at the base (you get the whole bowling alley for 40-50 people, 3 hours, food and unlimited soda included – $500. Food includes pizza, and trays of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks and wings).

**If you can’t become a member at the Fort Hamilton Army Base, some people head down to Seagate Brooklyn and become a member of the beach club there by renting a cabana for the seasons. More info here.

What about other pools are in Bay Ridge?

Fort Hamilton High School has a pool that ONLY alumni can use.

If you can’t get membership at the Fort Hamilton Army Base, check out the Seagate Pool Club (in the gated community of Sea Gate Brooklyn – exit 6 on the Belt Parkway).

What other pools are there in Brooklyn? Kingsborough Community College and Brooklyn College both have pools and you can pay to access them at certain times.

Brooklyn College Pool – $350 for 6 months or $600 for the year. Brooklyn College has a recreation center that’s open to the students all the time and to the public some of the time. *You sign up as a continuing education student (see bottom).

Dodge YMCA – Downtown Brooklyn diagonally across the street from Trader Joes is the Sovereign Bank with a YMCA outdoor pool there. The membership in the club is $18 a month and then the pool season pass is $225 for 2-4 family member (6 lanes – 12 when split) 5:30am – 10:30pm M-F and 8am – 6:30pm and 7:30pm on Sat and Sun No kids after 7pm. Info and FB page here

John Jay High School has family open swim $5/person, with warm water/toys/floatation belt every Sunday afternoon from 3:30 – 4:30 pm – see here for more info: https://www.campolympiany.com/swimming/family-swim